


Down to Zero

by acidpop25



Series: XOXO, Dreamers [2]
Category: Gossip Girl, Inception (2010)
Genre: Backstory, Eating Disorders, Gen, Sibling Love, Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-12
Updated: 2011-12-12
Packaged: 2017-10-27 06:33:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/292682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acidpop25/pseuds/acidpop25
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blair struggles with bulimia; her brother tries to help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Down to Zero

**Author's Note:**

> Triggers for eating disorders. This is backstory to the other fic in the 'verse; Blair is around 13 years old in this.

"Hurry up, Arthur, we're going to be late. Where's your sister?"

"Throwing up the bathroom," Arthur snaps, "so yes, we _are_ going to be late."

Elanor stops dead. "She must have eaten something that didn't agree with her–"

"–because it couldn't possibly have anything to do with that size zero party dress you expect her to squeeze into, right?"

"Young man!"

"No," Arthur retorts, "don't even. You're my mother and I love you, but you're going to make my little sister kill herself and soon I won't be here to look out for her and she's going to _need you_."

"Stop being so over-dramatic, Arthur dear. Go get her and give her something to settle her stomach, we can't miss the Christmas charity ball. People will talk."

Arthur throws his mother a disgusted look. "People always do," he says, and turns sharply on his heel and stalks out, striding down the hall for Blair's room.

"Blair?"

"Just a minute!"

" _Blair_ ," Arthur repeats, and pushes open her bathroom door without further warning. Blair shoots to her feet.

"God, is there _no_ privacy around here?"

"Can you even breathe in that dress?" Arthur asks, ignoring her, and Blair pulls a face.

"Breathing is for commoners, right?"

Arthur's lips press together, and he slides two fingertips just under the back neckline of the dress, which strains dangerously at the fraction of added stretch. Blair's chest feels like it's made of glass where his hand rests, all hard and sharp and fragile, waiting to shatter into something jagged and sharp and irreparable.

"Blair," Arthur murmurs, folding her brittle body in his arms, "what is the world doing to you?"

"I'm," she starts, and her voice quavers. "I'm fine."

"I'm not mom," Arthur murmurs against her hair, "you can talk to me."

Blair shakes her head and buries her face in his neck. "I can't yet. Can we please just– we're going to be late."

"Then promise me something."

"What?"

"Eat at the party."

Blair blanches. "But this dress is..."

"So wear a different dress. You're not five, you can dress yourself instead of letting mom do it. Go on and find something in your closet that fits you, and I'll stall for you, okay?"

For once she doesn't bother to argue with him.

* * *

 

"That's not the dress we agreed on."

"The dress you ordered her to wear, you mean. This one actually _fits_ her. She's not a little kid."

Elanor sighs. "I suppose. Why didn't you bring a date tonight, Arthur?"

He raises an eyebrow. "I assumed Will wouldn't be welcome."

"Arthur!"

He flashes her his falsest smile. "I'll just leave you to go talk with your friends," he says, and heads toward the buffet, where Nate and Serena are giggling conspiratorially. They quiet when he approaches.

"Evening."

"Hey, Arthur."

"Listen, do me a favor and make sure Blair eats something tonight, all right? She wasn't feeling great earlier, but she needs to have something."

"Sure thing," Serena agrees blithely, and Nate nods.

"Thanks." Arthur grins at Serena, because he knows she has a weakness for his dimples. "You're a big sister, you know how it goes. They never listen to you, right?"

She laughs. "That's the truth. Eric's always sure _he_ knows what's best."

"Siblings," Arthur agrees, glancing heavenward. "You're lucky, Nate, you get the easy ride. Serena, save me a dance?"

"You bet."

He smiles and saunters off to the sidelines to keep a discrete eye on his sister. At least for the night, he thinks, he can keep matters under control.

* * *

In the end, he doesn't have to corner Blair; she comes to him.

"I'm sorry," she says without preamble, dropping down on his bed, "I didn't mean to."

"Of course you meant to," Arthur replies, "but then it got out of control, didn't it. Or no, that's not quite right. It... it was control. And you think you have to be a size zero to be beautiful. To be _loved_."

Blair is crying as he talks, silent rivers of tears tracking down her hollowed cheeks, and she doesn't trust her voice enough to answer. She doesn't need to, either.

"I love you," Arthur tells her. He's the only one who ever tells her that without strings attached, without wanting things from her, without holding his feelings as blackmail or bribe. He just loves her, and he tells her so, and Blair believes him.

"I love you too," she whispers. "I don't want you to leave for college."

"I know you don't." He pulls a handkerchief from his pocket and reaches out to carefully wipe the tear-tracks from her cheeks. "It's going to be hard, Blair, but please. Will you try to get better?"

She sniffs. "I don't– I don't know how. I don't know if I _can_."

"We'll find someone who does to help you. Okay? Say you'll try?" His voice is cajoling, but it is the fear, the worry bubbling up underneath that matters, that makes Blair clasp her brother's hand in hers and nod.

"What if..." she hardly dares to voice the fear. "What if I can't?"

"You can," he replies, absolutely sure, steady. Arthur is always so steady. "It'll be hard, it will, but I know you can. You're strong, and you can do anything."

The thing is, when Arthur tells her those things, Blair _believes_ them.


End file.
